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Talk:Stuffed Banana Peppers/@comment-86.96.161.7-20120704111550
In Mexico rice is prepared in many ways, and we refer to it as white rice or red ride, no Spanish plaese. First measure your dry rice in a cup, remember that it is two and half cups of water per cup of rice. Take your rice and place it in a sieve, wash it under running water, you will notice a white liquid dripping from the rice, that is starch, we usually wash it away so the rice will not clot and clump together. Then put it aside to let the water drip away. In the meantime in a deep non-stick skillet add some oil and a few large pieces of onion or garlic, this is with the purpose of flavoring the oil. Take the pieces out and pour the rice into the skillet. Stir around until the rice begins to turn an opaque white. If you want to make white rice this is the moment when you add two and a half cups of water (it can be hot and preferably add all the condiments like chicken boullion granules and salt prior to pouring it over the rice) Cover and let cook over medium heat for about twenty to twenty five minutes. I like to add frozen peas or sweet corn at this stage too, or strips of green or red bell pepper, maybe a few sprigs of parsley or cilantro, or cubed carrots, it all depends on what you feel like putting in it on that particular day. Check to see how much liquid has evaporated, move a little aside with a fork and if there is very little at the bottom leave uncovered for the next five minutes until the liquid has completely evaporated.So much for white rice, now red rice means you have to fry the rice a bit more, until it starts to turn a nice faint brown color, never leave rice unattended at this stage because it burns in a wink, continue to stir until all the rice is a uniform tan, this is the moment where you stir in half a cup of tomato paste or two ground fresh tomatoes and stir around briskly followed immediately by two cups of water, stir around slowly until it is mixed. Check the salt, remember that you can use chicken boullion granules in the water for seasoning or you can use ground cumin as well. Add whatever veggies you wish, I even use broccolli and cauliflower, cover, let cook for twenty minutes or more on medium heat, uncover check to see how much water there is an leave uncovered for five minutes if the water has almost completely evaporated. That is red rice.Green rice is made by blending cilantro or parsley in the blender with onion and garlic with the water so you get your two and half cups which you pour over fried rice. Add the chicken boullion and salt as well. The rice will have a faint greenish tinge to it of course depending on the amount of cilantro or parsley that you use.Yellow rice is made using a root called saffron, which is bright yellow, and cheaper than the real Spanish saffron which are the pistiles of a flower that tinge the rice yellow and add a particular taste to it, the saffron is added to the water and the heat does the rest.Another version is adding some mustard to the water, it will provide a nice faint yellow tinge and a delightful taste to the rice.Dark rice is made by cooking the fried rice in two and a half cups of black bean broth. Cilantro is added for extra flavor.In Mexico we like to use a brand of boullion cubes produced by Knorr that have tomato added, maybe that would account for the taste, because red rice implies tomato. As for your question about the red chiles we do not use them for rice, although we might add one or two whole chiles, serrano or jalapef1o while it cooks, but not as part of the seasonings or extras that go into the two and half cups of water. Contrary to the belief that all Mexicans eat really hot food, rice is neutral, not hot or terribly spicy, we just don't do it that way. Remember that Mexican restaurants in United States have to cater to American tastes as well, so many of their recipes are americanized, so even if they say it is really authentic I have my doubts about that. The recipes here provided are those used by any Mexican cook in any Mexican home, from the poorest to the wealthiest. No Mexican restaurant in America can duplicate Mexican home cooking.